The Eastern Malaysian state of Sabah is taking travel agents from Hong Kong and China on familiarisation trips of less-discovered places such as Sandakan and Tawau, in a bid to promote destinations beyond the capital city Kota Kinabalu. It is starting by leading a five-night fam trip for Hong Kong agents this week. This will be followed by similar fam trips for agents from China. Sabah Tourism Board (STB) senior marketing manager, Tay Shu Lan, said the number of arrivals from China (including Hong Kong and Macau) totalled 74,557 for the first nine months of the year, up from 66,887 over the same period last year.
A key reason for the spike was a TVB TV series called Born Rich, which was partly shot in Sabah, said Tay. The Cantonese drama was aired late last year. However, Tay pointed out that some 90 per cent of Chinese visitors were still heading only to Kota Kinabalu, a trend that STB hopes to change by promoting other destinations known for special interests such as diving, wildlife and agro-tourism. Malaysia-based Mayflower Acme Tours manager of international sales for Greater China inbound, K.M. Lam, noted the company was receiving an increasing number of enquiries for Sabah. Lam said: "During key holiday seasons such as China National Day and Chinese New Year, demand is higher than supply."
-TTG Asia.
http://www.sabahtourism.com/
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